Well, there's this:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberalism

Generally, to me it means believing in tolerance. You tolerate gays because they're not bothering you. You tolerate that guy being on welfare because it's not his fault he was laid off and needs time to go to school and learn skills for a better job. It means that it's not the government's job to be our dad and tell us what's right and wrong.

I'm not going to give you answers, but I am going to say that you need to find a church where you feel comfortable asking questions. Trust me, I know, when I was in high school I was in a youth group where every time I asked anyone anything, they were just like, "Why are you thinking about that? The important thing is that you're saved! Isn't that great? We're saved! Now stop worrying!"

Well that's a LOAD. God made us to question things, and gave us brains that are capable of pondering deep issues, and He wouldn't have done that if we were supposed to hold ourselves back. You obviously have a mind that wants to go further than just hearing stories about baby Moses in the river... that's great! Use it to think. Read some books, read Tony Campolo, I like him. Read CS Lewis and Marcus Borg.

Personally, I don't think God controls everything. I think he set up a world with rules and natural balance, and if your kid falls out of a window and dies, it's because of gravity, not because the hand of God comes down and kills children. But that's an issue you need to explore and decide on for yourself. And most important, don't let anyone tell you that exploring and deciding isn't an important part of Christianity, because if you truly believe that God made us, then that means that He made us like this... with questions.

Men can definitely be feminists. I'm friends with lots of them. There've even been cool guys throughout history, like John Stuart Mill, who made fantastic contributions to the feminist movement. If you think men and women deserve to be treated equality and acknowledge the fact that we're not quite there yet, you're a feminist, and it doesn't matter what gender you are.

Anyone can buy a .org domain and say they're non-profit, but it's probably a good idea to register with government offices so you can be official about it and even apply later to be a tax exempt non-profit. Rules are different depending on what state you're on, but it's going to take a while for your tax exemptions to go through (think years) so it's a good idea to make sure you read the rules carefully now. http://www.nonprofits.org/ is a good resource, and they even have some state-dependent information.

Republicans have quite a few common beliefs with Libertarians, so you're not as far off as you think. Libertarians want smaller government at all costs. They don't believe in income taxes. They think laws should exist only to protect us from dangerous people, so murder should obviously be illegal, but smoking pot shouldn't, because you're not hurting anybody but yourself. I'd encourage you to check out http://www.lp.org/ for more information. There's even a quiz you can take to find out if you're a libertarian: http://www.lp.org/quiz/

A feminist is someone who wants equal rights for women. There are feminist who are pro-choice and feminists who are pro-life. Some are Christian, some are not. Some are democrats and others are republican. I've noticed that a lot of people have these stereotypes about feminism that they usually get from "the other side", but if you ask any real feminist what we mean, you'll learn that there are a million different ways to help women... there aren't complicated strings attached, there aren't strict rules about it. If you think women are people too, you're a feminist.

They didn't have the word "feminism" floating around back when Christianity was invented, but trust me, Jesus was a feminist! When he called women "daughter" and "sister", when he stuck up for the adultress about to be stoned, when he befriended troubled women like Mary Magdalene, that was radical stuff back then. Most leaders of His time wouldn't give women a second thought. So I'd urge you to think about why you don't want to be called a feminist. Do you think women should be educated thinkers? Do you think we should have support systems to prevent abuse? Do you think women are capable of leading their communities and helping people alongside men? Then hey, you're a feminist and you don't even know it.

I'm a Christian. I'm a Republican. I think we should create programs that prevent unplanned pregnancies and make adoption programs easier so there are less abortions. And I'm a feminist!

I didn't say that having a boyfriend excludes you from feminism, I said that living to impress guys and being obsessed with having a boyfriend means your priorities are misdirected. I have a boyfriend and shave my legs! Feminism is about equal rights - stop trying to read agendas into what I'm saying here. I get 7,000 questions from girls just wanting boyfriends - that to me is a sign that society is raising our women to base their existance on men and it's sad. If you see a cool guy and want to go out with him, more power to you, go out there and get him. Just don't sit at home thinking about how you can't live without a man. Single girls do just fine!

When we put murderers in jail, we don't do it just to punish them. We do it because they're dangerous people and we don't want them out on the streets. Same with the war in Iraq. It wasn't just fought because we were mad, it was fought because it was home to militant extremists who we thought could be terrorists. We're trying to not be destructive, trying not to hurt civilians, which is very different from terrorists who try to hurt mostly civilians. We're not trying to destroy Iraq, we're trying to change leadership, so the terrorists don't have quite as many friends there.

Many people are for or against the war but it's not a black and white issue, there are many reasons for and against it.

Animal cruelty is bad, but I eat meat. I guess I still think humans are more important than animals. We deserve to be at the top of the food chain. I admire vegetarians and definately don't mind good vegetarian meals, they're yummy, but I don't go out of my way to avoid meat either.

Trust me, it's not just teenagers. It's something that infects us from the moment we're born. Some people outgrow it I suppose, but most of us spend our lives watching commercials and reading magazine ads that tell us how to look and act for other people instead of ourselves. It wears on us.

You can't always change people's minds with words or stand up against every wall and knock it down. As a Christian, you're called to be an example of the life you think God would have us lead. There are many attitudes in the world you'll never be able to change, and often you can only create more anger by loudly speaking out.

I'm not saying you shouldn't make your position known. You should. Just don't harp on it and definately don't let it eat away at you if they aren't listening. It's important how you live your life and it's important that you love everyone, not that you lead them all to see the light.

I don't know. It happens and it's sad, but sometimes all you can do is be happy you escaped the intellectual void these poor women are trapped in. Then, if you want, try to show them the way! Leave books and magazines laying around, maybe they'll just take the bait. When they yell at you for not wearing dresses, ask if they honestly think dresses are comfortable and practical. They can't say yes! Fish out aspects of their lives they aren't happy with and use them as examples of how your life will be better because you are a feminist. Stand your ground! It's hard to change people, sometimes impossible, but if you serves as a positive example they'll love you for it.

Get a puppy.

I seriously wonder the same thing, I remember thinking in high school that girls' IQs had actually dropped since the sixth grade or whatever because they were so concerned with petty dumb boy crap. Being friends with guys is really underrated, you know? I get e-mails from girls and I think they've never even thought to just be friends with a guy, as soon as he looks at one of them they're judging his boyfriend potential. I think most people sort of outgrow that in college, but until then normal thinking females like you and me just have to sort of look and wonder.

Awe, now that's not nice, I don't hate men! I just think most of them are worthless anoying pond scum draining humanity and productivity out of intelligent, motivated women all over the world. But I digress. Gay men are alright. They seem to understand women better than their straight counterparts, I'll give them that, and they dress better and treat each other pretty well. And they like to dance! At least, the ones I've met did. Anyway, any man who reads my website and likes it is totally okay in my book, but since you asked, I guess gay men have a better chance of being cool whether they've experienced everything that is spacefem.com or not.

By all means, hate mail away! And send some ideas for bands for them to play, too. There's no reason to listen to the same dumb stuff hour after hour, I'd be really mad if I only had one radio station cranking Britney Spears 24/7. Tell them you want Dar Williams and you want her now! Or The Tragically Hip (it's pop!) or Ani Difranco. They don't have to be totally weird, but they could at least try. Then campaign to get a public radio station somewhere near you, because those rock.

First off, we don't "whine" about equality, it's just something we kind of expect. We are requesting that you treat us like intellectual and emotional equals, pay us the same wages for our work as you would a man, punish criminals who commit crimes against us around the world, etc. I don't see how that's "whining". Now that I've said that, I don't think paying a check or opening a door is a sign that you don't see someone as your equal, it's just a sign that you care about someone and feel honored to spend time with them. Judging from the tone of your e-mail, you should feel very honored to spend time with any woman in a relationship context. If you ask someone out, you should pay for the date. After a few dates, if she wants to pay for your dinner or hold a door open for you, that's fine. I do that for my boyfriend. Sometimes he pays, sometimes I pay, the whole point is that someone always buys the other person dinner because we respect one another and want to make the other one feel special. Splitting checks just isn't nice.

I've been in the advice column over five years now so I think I've pretty much heard it all... the love, the hate, the random insanity. I don't take it too seriously, so I'm not always giving the best advice, but my column is fun to read!

I am a 23 year old electrical engineer, a feminist, a Christian. I don't know everything but I can sure pretend to.

Disclaimer: Now that I'm on advicenators I'm getting even more questions every day. It's fast and easy for me to answer them, yes, so at least I'm answering something now, but if your question contains the words "there's this guy that I like..." chances are I won't get around to it. I'm only answering interesting questions that I haven't answered before. Register at the site and ask everyone for advice if you must have an answer, because if people read my column and boring love advice was all they found, they'd never come back.

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